CARROLL, N.H. -- He stood ahead of and above us, a circle of sweat on his T-shirt, a wet bandanna on his head. The morning light filtered through the trees and onto the New Jersey hiker out for some exercise on the tail end of a three-week New England vacation.
``How was the top? " my companion , Jan , asked him.
He shook his head. Never made it. His goal was an hour up, an hour down , before making the drive to southern Vermont .
His hour up was up and he was on his way down, without having reached the summit.
``This was a lot steeper than I thought," he said.
Trailside banter is sometimes done out of politeness, with everyone simply being at the same place at the same time. This was a rest stop, for him and for us. In that brief exchange, we learned a little about each other (though not his name), while beating hearts were given a chance to slow and tired knees took a break.
But this was no mile-high mountain. This was Mount Martha on the proverbial trail less taken.
Also called Cherry Mountain, the 3,573-foot peak is in the tiny town of Carroll in an area near the Presidential Range. Nearby mountain s include those with impressive names like Washington, Jefferson, Monroe, and Adams.
Hikers are drawn to nearby Randolph and the busy Appalachia parking area on Route 2 to begin their assault on those behemoths. The trailhead to Mount Martha and a ledgy spur called Owl's Head is a short drive away, in a sort of no-man's -land along Route 115 between Jefferson and Twin Mountain in northern New Hampshire.
For those seeking a touch of solitude during autumn's blaze of glory, the troika of scenic outlooks from Mount Martha and the rock stage from Owl's Head offer a spectacular view of the Presidential s and more.
The Cherry Mountain Trail up Mount Martha, followed by the narrow link to Owl's Head called Martha's Mile and back again, is easily a half-day affair covering 5 1/2 miles. It offers a unique opportunity to hike up the same mountain twice, while getting a double dip of colorful alpine eye candy from Mount Martha's summit.
During the morning hours, the rush of chilly water from nearby Carter Brook was more frequently heard than seen. Rest stops were frequent up the steep path that passed over wet moss-covered rocks and along a path with few trail blazes. Level ground was reached at a trail junction marked by a sign indicating we had just hiked 1.7 miles. In less than a quarter mile, along a kinder but still uphill forest road was the Mount Martha summit.